Final Fantasy XI Producer Leaves Square Enix

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Health problems cause Hiromichi Tanaka to step down.

By Andrew Goldfarb

Final Fantasy veteran Hiromichi Tanaka has left Square Enix. Known most recently for his work as a producer on Final Fantasy XI, Tanaka departed Square Enix in large part due to health issues. While he didn’t divulge specifics, Tanaka noted that he has a “major illness” that contributed to his departure.

Beyond his health, Tanaka notes that he also left out of a desire to create his own game, commenting that he’d rather work as a single creator than be part of a large team. Tanaka first joined Square Enix in 1983, contributing to design work for the earliest Final Fantasy titles in addition to serving as a producer on Xenogears and Chrono Cross.

Tanaka will be replaced by Akihiko Matsui, who is currently hard at work on Final Fantasy XIV. Matsui is described by Tanaka as “the only one [who] could do the job” and will continue to work on Final Fantasy XIV until its version 2.0 update is released later this year, at which point he will focus on Final Fantasy XI.